


Gentle Goodbye

by woofskaya



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Animal Death, Euthenasia, Gen, Horses, Medical Procedures, Needles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:14:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25628791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/woofskaya/pseuds/woofskaya
Summary: Based on the FE3H Kinkmeme:Marianne was usually entrusted to care for injured mounts during the war, while faith magic can heal most wounds, there simply moments where recovery isn't possible and the animal needs to be put down. How does she feels? Does she perform the deed, or did someone take over the job?Content warnings are in the tags. Not a happy fic.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6
Collections: FE3H Kink Meme





	Gentle Goodbye

**Author's Note:**

> Finally, a use for the 2+ years I did work experience in a veterinary surgery.
> 
> For this fill:  
> https://3houseskinkmeme.dreamwidth.org/1608.html?thread=2163528

The horse’s leg had snapped in battle. Marianne had seen this before. She splayed a hand over its head slowly, creasing her brow at the strained puffing. Faith magic had been used to numb the pain, but there was no way to set a compound fracture as serious as this. The metacarpel - half of it - had torn through the skin. It had split in a seam from the joint to the carpus, to the joint to the long pastern. The exposed bone, in turn, had taken another snap, the top half of it lost to the battlefield. 

This horse could not recover. Walking just wouldn’t be possible, let alone riding out to battle. She filled the thing with more faith magic, hoping to lull it into an anaesthetic sedation. With such a large animal as this, euthanizing it on her own could prove difficult, the size allowing for a surprising amount of strength in struggle. Marianne had learned this the hard way in one of her first put-to-sleep cases. But she couldn’t leave him alone too long, in case he tried to stand and worsened his own suffering. 

“Ingrid,” She called quietly, spotting her across the stable, “Could you please… give me a hand?”  
She felt terrible asking. This was Marianne’s job, she was used to it - to an extent, anyway. Ingrid's face gave away that she knew what was happening, and made her way over to join the makeshift vet. 

War did make it somewhat easier to push the pain of these things to the back of your mind. Ingrid's first thought when asked was that she needed to make sure Marianne was alright. She would comfort her if need be. Her hand splayed the horse's limp head, brushing long locks of fur out of his eyes. There was only a brief glimpse given toward the wound, and even that made her balk. Bone should not be outside of the body; marrow should not be visible and oozing. 

"I just need you to help comfort him," Marianne managed, her meek voice holding a stripe of authority, "And press down two fingers just here."  
The direction was given to a spot on the horses neck. Marianne shaved beneath it, and waited until the pressure from Ingrid's fingers caused the vein to raise.

Carefully, she placed a catheter in his neck, and the pair soothed the half-lucid horse as he huffed and gave a pathetic write. Marianne drew a strange, blue solution into a large syringe, and inserted the needle into the catheter, injecting the whole vial. The stallion's eyes closed slowly. She and Ingrid continued to pet him softly as he faded into a permanent sleep, with Marianne occasionally stopping to check that his heart had come to a halt. 

She thanked herself for having the foresight to put him on the makeshift trolley bed; he would be too heavy to lift. They removed him from the stable to the cold room, where bodies were kept until graves could be made. Here, his rider could come and say a final farewell, or leave his tack to be buried with him. 

Ingrid followed her back to the stable, and helped to clean the fluids left on the floor.  
"Thank you… for your help."  
"It's what has to happen."  
Marianne nodded knowingly, though remorse flowed through her.  
"I don't… I don't think you would get used to it. Ever. It's always so sad to send them to sleep like this."  
"I've seen less than you have, granted, but I know I wouldn't."

As they finished up, Ingrid wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and gave her a light squeeze.  
"At least one of the mares is in foal soon."  
"Every end is a beginning."

**Author's Note:**

> Hope people enjoyed this, sad as it may be.


End file.
